Reasons for low cervical cancer survival in new accession European Union countries: a EUROCARE-5 study.

Purpose: With better access to early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, cervical cancer (CC) burden decreased in several European countries. In Eastern European (EE) countries, which accessed European Union in 2004, CC survival was worse than in the rest of Europe. The present study investigates CC survival differences across five European regions, considering stage at diagnosis (local, regional and metastatic), morphology (mainly squamous versus glandular tumours) and patients’ age. Methods: We analysed 101,714 CC women diagnosed in 2000–2007 and followed-up to December 2008. Age-standardised 5-year relative survival (RS) and the excess risks of cancer death in the 5 years after diagnosi…

Uso di idrotalciti in compositi a matrice PLA preparati nel fuso

Morphology and properties of compatibilized PP/PET melt spun fibers

This work provides a study on the influence of a rubbery compatibilizer on the morphology and on the physical properties of polypropylene (PP)/polyethylenetherephthalate(PET) melt spun fibers at different hot draw ratios. In particular, a sample of SEBS copolymer grafted with maleic anhydride was used as compatibilizer. Both the uncompatibilized PP/PET blend and the compatibilized one were prepared by melt compounding in a counter-rotating twin-screw extruder. The materials have been characterized from a rheological, morphological and mechanical point of view. The addition of the compatibilizer increased the viscosity in shear flow of the uncompatibilized blend, and significantly improved t…

Efficacia di film polimerici a base di etilen-vinil-acetato e componenti di oli essenziali nei confronti del biofilm

Non-isothermal elongational flow of polymer nanocomposites

The elongational flow is a very important flow involved in important processing operations, like spinning, film blowing, etc. In these processing operations, the molten polymer is subject to the elongational flow and at the same time is cooled (non-isothermal elongational flow). The response to the non-isothermal elongational flow of the melt is then the critical parameter to process the polymer in these processing operations. MS (melt strength) and BSR (breaking stretching ratio) are to two values measured during the non-isothermal flow and depend mainly on the molecular structure of the polymer. In biphasic systems, the adhesion and the shape of the dispersed particles play a very importa…

FIGLI DI GENITORI "SPECIALI": DA FIGLI ADOTTIVI AD ALUNNI ADOTTATI

Photo-oxidative behavior of PP/GnP nanocomposites

In this work the photo-oxidative behavior of neat polypropylene (PP) and PP based nanocomposites incorporating graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) was studied. In particular, the influence of the amount of incorporated GnP was evaluated. The photo-oxidation has been followed by monitoring the change of the rheological, mechanical and spectroscopic properties upon artificial exposure to UV-B light. The results revealed that the presence of GnP reduced the rate of photooxidation of the PP matrix and, in the investigated composition range, the photo-stabilizing action improved with increasing the GnP content.

Survival variations by country and age for lymphoid and myeloid malignancies in Europe 2000–2007: Results of EUROCARE-5 population-based study

BACKGROUND: Significant advances in the management of patients with lymphoid and myeloid malignancies entered clinical practice in the early 2000's. The EUROCARE-5 study database provides an opportunity to assess the impact of these changes at the population level by country in Europe. We provide survival estimates for clinically relevant haematological malignancies (HM), using the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology 3, by country, gender and age in Europe. METHODS: We estimated age-standardised relative survival using the complete cohort approach for 625, 000 adult patients diagnosed in 2000-2007 and followed up to 2008. Survival information was provided by 89 participati…

Survival in patients with primary liver cancer, gallbladder and extrahepatic biliary tract cancer and pancreatic cancer in Europe 1999- 2007: Results of EUROCARE-5

Abstract Background The EUROCARE study collects and analyses survival data from population-based cancer registries (CRs) in Europe in order to provide data on between-country differences in survival and time trends in survival. Methods This study analyses data on liver cancer, gallbladder and extrahepatic biliary tract cancers (“biliary tract cancers”), and pancreatic cancer diagnosed in 2000–2007 from 88 CRs in 29 countries. Relative survival (RS) was estimated overall, by region, sex, age and period of diagnosis using the complete approach. Time trends in 5-year RS over 1999–2007 were also analysed using the period approach. Results The prognosis of the studied cancers was poor. Age-stand…

PCL/PEG based membranes for bacterial cells immobilization stimulate actinorhodin antibiotic production in S. coelicolor

The actinomycetes, Gram-positive filamentous bacteria, are the most prolific source of natural antibiotics. At industrial level, antibiotics from actinomycetes are usually produced at low levels by mean of fermentative processes in submerged cultivations, where one of the major factors negatively affecting bioproductivity is the phenomenon of a pellet-shaped biomass growth. The strategies based on cell-immobilization, which were already proven improving bacterial bioprocess productivity, could stimulate antibiotic production in actinomycetes.

Actinorhodin production intensification by nanofibrous membranes in Streptomyces coelicolor cultures

In this work, electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) membranes, subjected or not to O2-plasma treatment, werwe used as support for cell-immobilization in S. coelicolor immobilized-cells created a compact biofilm on both kinds of membranes.

Enhancement of antibiotic productions by plasma modified PLA electrospun membranes in Streptomyces coelicolor immobilized-cell cultivations

This study, encouraging the use of PLA membranes for actinomycetes cultivations, could unveil functional insights associated with antibiotic production and S. coelicolor cellimmobilization

Improvement of actinorhodin production yield in Streptomyces coelicolor by immobilized-cell cultivations by using PCL- and PLA-based films

Actinomycetes are Gram-positive bacteria producing most of naturally occurring antibiotics (Donadio et al., 2010). At industrial level, antibiotics are produced by submerged fermentations where the actinomycete filamentous morphology negatively affects bioproductivity (van Dissel et al., 2014). Microporous membranes for bacterial cell-immobilization were already proven increasing bioproductivity in Streptomyces coelicolor, that is a model actinomycete producing the blue pigmented actinorhodin (ACT) antibiotic (Scaffaro et al., 2016). To develop an immobilized-cell bioreactor system, different kinds of polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) films were produced by an electrospinning…

Prognosis and cure of long-term cancer survivors: A population-based estimation.

Background: Increasing evidence of cure for some neoplasms has emerged in recent years. The study aimed to estimate population-based indicators of cancer cure. Methods: Information on more than half a million cancer patients aged 15-74 years collected by population-based Italian cancer registries and mixture cure models were used to estimate the life expectancy of fatal tumors (LEFT), proportions of patients with similar death rates of the general population (cure fraction), and time to reach 5-year conditional relative survival (CRS) >90% or 95% (time to cure). Results: Between 1990 and 2000, the median LEFT increased >1 year for breast (from 8.1 to 9.4 years) and prostate cancers (from 5.…

The EUROCARE-5 study on cancer survival in Europe 1999-2007: Database, quality checks and statistical analysis methods

Abstract Background Since 25 years the EUROCARE study monitors the survival of cancer patients in Europe through centralised collection, quality check and statistical analysis of population-based cancer registries (CRs) data. The European population covered by the study increased remarkably in the latest round. The study design and statistical methods were also changed to improve timeliness and comparability of survival estimates. To interpret the EUROCARE-5 results on adult cancer patients better here we assess the impact of these changes on data quality and on survival comparisons. Methods In EUROCARE-5 the survival differences by area were studied applying the complete cohort approach to…

Biopolymeric bilayer films for packaging applications prepared by co-extrusion film blowing

The requirements for reducing packaging waste drove academic efforts to search compostable bio-sourced polymeric materials. Multilayer systems can represent a suitable strategy to obtain the required properties and to improve biopolymer performance. Thus, the aim of the current work is the preparation by co-extrusion film blowing of a bio-based bilayer film with the purpose to overcome the drawbacks of the individual components.

Effect of graphene nanoplatelets on the photo-oxidative behavior of PP based nanocomposites

The photo-oxidation behavior of polymer nanocomposites depends not only on the photo-oxidation behavior of the matrix, but also on the chemical composition and on the physical properties of the nanoparticles and on the possible interactions between the two phases. Graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) are short stacks of individual layers of graphite that, even at low contents, strongly affects many properties of the thermoplastic matrix. Indeed, by GnP adding, also at low filler concentration (< 5 wt.%), the mechanical, heat-resistance, thermal and electrical properties of the polymer matrix can be surprisingly modified. Of course, the effects of these nanoparticles on the properties of the poly…

Effect of Streptomyces coelicolor M145 cell immobilization on actinorhodin production

Non previsto

Environmental degradation of polymers for cultural heritage

Plastic materials are used both for the protection of cultural heritage and as material for artworks. As for other materials, the durability and the maintenance of their initial properties are fundamental for the use of these materials. For the protection of the cultural heritage (particularly for stone artworks) the main important properties are the hydrophobicity, the UV transparency and the water vapour permeability that must be maintained even after a long exposure to the environmental conditions (UV irradiation, rain, temperature variations, etc.). When the polymers are used for the production of an artwork, the most important characteristics are the maintenance of the aesthetical appe…

THE SMALL PROTEIN TRPM MODULATES MORPHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL DIFFERENTIATION IN THE MODEL ACTINOMYCETE STREPTOMYCES COELICOLOR A3(2)

BACKGROUNDS TrpM, a small protein of 63 amino acids, modulates tryptophan (Trp) metabolism and morpho-physiological differentiation in the filamentous bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), a model organism for antibiotic production and cell differentiation. Indeed, the trpM knock-out mutant strain is characterized by a delayed growth on minimal medium, smaller aerial hyphae, and reduction of both spore and antibiotic actinorhodin production in comparison with the wild-type strain. These observations were in agreement with proteomic analyses which highlighted a role for TrpM in controlling i) Trp production through Trp precursor availability and, thus ii) bacterial growth and morpho-physi…

Effetto del flusso elongazionale su nanocompositi a base di miscele polimeriche.

Scopo di questo lavoro è stato, pertanto, quello di studiare l’effetto del flusso elongazionale su nanocompositi a base di miscele poliammide/polietilene al fine di valutare come questo possa influenzare e modificare le principali proprietà. In particolare, si è osservato come variano le proprietà meccaniche fra il materiale isotropo (piastrine ottenute per stampaggio a compressione) e il materiale orientato ottenuto per filmatura in bolla.

A Biodegradable, Bio-Based Polymer for the Production of Tools for Aquaculture: Processing, Properties and Biodegradation in Sea Water

Bio-based, biodegradable polymers can dramatically reduce the carbon dioxide released into the environment by substituting fossil-derived polymers in some applications. In this work, prototypes of trays for aquaculture applications were produced via injection molding by using a biodegradable polymer, Mater-Bi®. A characterization carried out via calorimetric, rheological and mechanical tests revealed that the polymer employed shows properties suitable for the production of tools to be used in aquaculture applications. Moreover, the samples were subjected to a biodegradation test in conditions that simulate the marine environment. The as-treated samples were characterized from gravimetrical,…

Thermomechanical degradation of PP based nanocomposites filled with graphene nanoplatelets

Graphitic nanofillers have extensively used to prepare nanocomposites based on both conventional petroleum based plastics and bio-based polymers . Among them, graphene or graphite nanoplatelets (GnP), also called graphite nanosheets or nanoflakes, are a relatively new carbon nanomaterial composed of stacked 2D graphene sheets with outstanding electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. Indeed, by adding GnP, also at low filler concentration (< 5 wt.%), the mechanical, heat-resistance, thermal and electrical properties of the polymer matrix can surprisingly enhance due to unique properties of these nanofillers. However, the characteristics of these multiphase systems certainly depend o…

Changes in life expectancy for cancer patients over time since diagnosis

Highlights • Research question: how cancer impacts on LE changes during patients’ entire life • LE increased in patients surviving the first years and decreasing thereafter. • Patients’ LE in the end approached but seldom reached the general population’s LE. • This method describes when cancer survivors’ excess risk of death became negligible. • Life expectancy indicator is easy to be understood and interpreted by patients.

Polypropylene/graphene nanoplatelets nanocomposites subjected to elongational flow

In this work the effect of the presence of graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) on the morphology and mechanical properties of polypropylene/GnP nanocomposites has been investigated when these polymer systems are subjected to non-isothermal elongational flow in a melt spinning operation. The presence of the GnP magnifies the effect of the elongational flow. Indeed, the elastic modulus and the tensile strength increases with the orientation more than that observed for the pure matrix.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION OF THE ANTIBIOTIC ACTINORHODIN IN STREPTOMYCES COELICOLOR IMMOBILIZED-MYCELIAL CELL CULTIVATIONS

Objectives i) Evaluation of ACT production in Streptomyces coelicolor M145 mycelial cells immobilized on polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) nanofiber membranes, modified or not by an O2- plasma treatment. ii) Identification of gene products associated with the improvement of ACT production.

The small protein TrpM modulates morpho-physiological differentiation in Streptomyces coelicolor

TrpM, a small protein of 63 amino acids, is encoded by a gene of the trpCMBA locus involved in tryptophan biosynthesis in the model actinomycete Streptomyces coelicolor. Indeed, the trpM knock-out mutant strain is characterized by a delayed growth on minimal medium, smaller aerial hyphae, and reduction of both spore and antibiotic actinorhodin production in comparison with the wild-type strain. These observations are in agreement with proteomic analyses which highlighted a role for TrpM in controlling i) tryptophan production through precursor availability and, thus ii) bacterial growth and morpho-physiological differentiation. To further elucidate the role of TrpM, a S. coelicolor trpM kno…

Age and case mix-standardised survival for all cancer patients in Europe 1999-2007: Results of EUROCARE-5, a population-based study

Background: Overall survival after cancer is frequently used when assessing a health care service’s performance as a whole. It is mainly used by the public, politicians and the media, and is often dismissed by clinicians because of the heterogeneous mix of different cancers, risk factors and treatment modalities. Here we give survival details for all cancers combined in Europe, correlating it with economic variables to suggest reasons for differences. Methods: We computed age and cancer site case- mix standardised relative survival for all cancers combined (ACRS) for 29 countries participating in the EUROCARE-5 project with data on more than 7.5 million cancer cases from 87 population-based…

Urinary tract cancer survival in Europe 1999-2007: Results of the population-based study EUROCARE-5

Abstract Background This work presents relative survival estimates regarding urinary tract tumours among adult patients (age ⩾ 15 years) diagnosed in Europe. It reports on survival estimates of cases diagnosed in 2000–2007, and on survival time trends from 1999–2001 to 2005–2007. Methods Data on 677,340 adult urinary tract tumour patients, (429,154 cases of invasive and non-invasive bladder and 248,186 cases of invasive kidney cancers) diagnosed between 2000 and 2007 were provided by 86 population-based cancer registries from 29 European countries. The complete approach was used to estimate survival in 2000–2007; the period approach was used to estimate survival over time. Results The age-s…

Survival of male genital cancers (prostate, testis and penis) in Europe 1999-2007: Results from the EUROCARE-5 study

Abstract Background We provide updated estimates of survival and survival trends of male genital tumours (prostate, testicular and penis cancers), in Europe and across European areas. Methods The complete approach was used to obtain relative survival estimates for patients diagnosed in 2000–2007, and followed up through 2008 in 29 countries. Data came from 87 cancer registries (CRs) for prostate tumours and from 86 CRs for testis and penis tumours. Relative survival time trends in 1999–2007 were estimated by the period approach. Data came from 49 CRs in 25 countries. Results We analysed 1,021,275 male genital cancer cases. Five-year relative survival was high and decreased with increasing a…

Quality analysis of population-based information on cancer stage at diagnosis across Europe, with presentation of stage-specific cancer survival estimates: A EUROCARE-5 study.

Abstract Background Cancer registries (CRs) are fundamental for estimating cancer burden, evaluating screening and monitoring health service performance. Stage at diagnosis—an essential information item collected by CRs—has been made available, for the first time, by CRs participating in EUROCARE-5. We analysed the quality of this information and estimated stage-specific survival across Europe for CRs with good data quality. Data and methods Sixty-two CRs sent stage (as TNM, condensed TNM or extent of disease) for 15 cancers diagnosed in 2000–2007. We assessed the quality, partly by comparing stage according to the three systems. We also developed procedures to reconstruct stage (categories…

Polimeri antibatterici contenenti carvacrolo come approccio innovativo per il controllo del biofilm

Survival of 86,690 patients with thyroid cancer: A population-based study in 29 European countries from EUROCARE-5

Background: Incidence rates of thyroid cancer (TC) increased in several countries during the last 30 years, while mortality rates remained unchanged, raising important questions for treatment and follow-up of TC patients. This study updates population-based estimates of relative survival (RS) after TC diagnosis in Europe by sex, country, age, period and histology.Methods: Data from 87 cancer registries in 29 countries were extracted from the EUROCARE-5 dataset. One-and 5-year RS were estimated using the cohort approach for 86,690 adult TC patients diagnosed in 2000-2007 and followed-up to 12/31/2008. RS trends in 1999-2007 and 10-year RS in 2005-2007 were estimated using the period approach…

Statistical study of the influence of CNTs purification and plasma functionalization on the properties of Polycarbonate-CNTs nanocomposites

This work reports a statistical study on the relationship between the chemical-physical properties of CNTs, which vary by changing the conditions of purification and plasma treatment, and the macroscopic properties of PC-based nanocomposites. CNTs are synthesized and then purified in two different ways and used as fillers for the preparation of PC/CNTs nanocomposites. In some cases, oxygen plasma treatment is carried out to improve their affinity to the matrix. The CNTs are characterized by TGA, ICP/OES and FT-Raman spectroscopy, titration and morphological analysis. Mechanical, dynamic-mechanical, electrical and morphological tests are used for characterizing PC/CNTs nanocomposites.

Geographical variability in survival of European children with central nervous system tumours

Survival for childhood central nervous system (CNS) tumours varies across Europe, partly because of the difficulty of distinguishing malignant from non-malignant disease. This study examines bias in CNS tumours survival analysis to obtain the reliable and comparable survival figures. We analysed survival data for about 15, 000 children (age <15) diagnosed with CNS between 2000 and 2007, from 71 population- based cancer registries in 27 countries. We selected high- quality data based on registry- specific data quality indicators and recorded observed 1-year and 5-year survival by countries and CNS entity. We provided age- adjusted survival and used a Cox model to calculate the hazard ratios …

Biopolymeric porous structure for selective oil sorption and activity intensification of oil-degrading bacteria

Oil pollution is one of the environmental concerns that are currently becoming a major issue in the petroleum industry. Among the different methods for environmental cleaning, the use of sorbents to recover the spilled oils is becoming more and more attractive because of their peculiar advantages such as reusability and recoverability of the oil. In this context, bioremediation is often considered a promising and cost-effective technology that could help a more sustainable recovery of contaminated water by using oil-degrading microorganisms. In this work, it is proposed a PCL-based biodegradable and floatable oil removal sponge, able to immobilize and increase biodegradation ability of hydr…

PLA/PCL nanofibrous blends via multi-jet electrospinning: processing-morphology-property relationships

Electrospinning permits to prepare ultrafine fibers with micro to nano-meter range diameters. Multi-jet approaches can be used to fabricate blend nanofibrous mats composed by two or more polymers presenting different properties such as degradation rate, mechanical properties and so on. In this study, a series of PLA/PCL blend nanofiber mats were prepared by dual-jet electrospinning. The relative weight ratio of PLA and PCL in blend was controlled by changing the flow ratio of the two syringe pumps containing the polymer solutions.

Effect of adding new phosphazene compounds in polybutylenetherephtalate/polyamide blends

Silica as a green exfoliant agent for graphene oxidepolymer nanocomposites prepared in the melt

For the first time, solid-state exfoliant agents were used to hinder the re-aggregation of graphene oxide (GO) during melt processing with polyamide 6 (PA6). This technique drastically reduces the time and difficulty related to solvent (removal, disposal, etc.), and avoids water consumption, since in this case 150 mL of water under mild operative conditions are enough to prepare the amount of GOS necessary for the realization of almost 100 grams of PA6- GOS nanocomposites with outstanding ultimate properties.

A new cure model accounting for extra non-cancer mortality: Validation and application to real data

Introduction The proportion of cancer patients cured of the disease is estimated with standard cure models assuming they have the same risk of death as the general population [1] . These patients, however often maintain an extra risk of dying compared to the overall population, which we assume is due to other causes than cancer [2] . The aim of the work was to develop and validate an extended cure model incorporating the estimated patients’ relative risk of death from other causes (α) compared to that observed in the general population. Methods We extended the mixture cure model considering Weibull relative survival of the uncured by including a relative risk αwhich muliptlies the mortality…

Reprocessing of PLA based nanocomposites: Effect of nanofiller

Several studies investigated the effect of the reprocessing on the properties of PLA. However, recycling of PLA-based nanocomposites was not been investigated in depth so far. PLA is susceptible to thermo-degradation during melt processing operations. For this purpose, the study of thermo-mechanical degradative phenomena associated to its re-processing is of great concern in order to assess the possibility of recycling PLA-based nanocomposites. This work aims to evaluate the effect of reprocessing on morphology and properties of PLA reinforced with different nanofillers, i.e. hydrotalcites (HT) and graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs), pointing out on the role of the nanofiller.